Location: On the R24 at Olifantsnek Dam, near Rustenburg Web: brauhaus.co.za Tel: 087 802 5519 Amenities: Restaurant, beer tasting, off-sales
Every brewer has a story, but in the case of Brauhaus am Damm, the brewery itself also has a tale to tell. Described by brewer Imke Pape as “the Rolls-Royce of breweries”, the 1 000-litre system is indeed a fine specimen of beer equipment, but the copper kettles are more than just a pretty face. This system was the lifeblood of one of South Africa’s earliest microbreweries, much-loved Farmers’ Brewery in Hattingspruit, KwaZulu-Natal. It helped realise the lifelong dream of a German expat, Otto Martin, who set up the brewery in 1993. It saw thousands of tourists and loyal locals pass through to sip on the oft-talked about Farmers’ Draught and it was there in 2009 when the Farmers’ Brewery closed its doors for the last time. But as Otto’s son, Josef, was quoted in the most impassioned obituary you’ll ever read for a brewpub, “the brewery is not dead”.
It has been reincarnated in a grand setting on the edge of the Olifantsnek Dam near Rustenburg. Imke takes up the story where the Martin family left off: “Very good friends of ours, Walter and Christine Stallmann, went to Hattingspruit in 2008. The brewery had been closed for a while by then and the beer they tasted was two years old, but it was the best beer they’d ever had!” Walter and Christine decided there and then that they wanted to buy the brewery, despite having no brewing knowledge or background. They headed home to try and get further backing for the brewery, which is where Imke comes into the story. “They sat here and said we are going to buy this brewery together. We said no – we don’t know anything about brewing; no, we’re not doing this – but, of course, here we are!” laughs Imke.
Challenges rained down – they had no premises, no brewer and a brewery sitting almost 500 km away, but gradually the solutions appeared. The first job was to move the brewery, an event that Imke remembers fondly. “We went down to Hattingspruit and labelled every part of the brewery. We also took thousands of photos because we didn’t know where anything went and needed to know how to put it back together afterwards!”
The brewery was dismantled at the start of 2009 and placed into storage until task number two was tackled – finding premises for the new brewery. After looking around the Rustenburg region to no avail, Imke decided to sell a 10-hectare piece of the farm she was born on to the brewing consortium, making sure that the pub and restaurant would always enjoy uninterrupted views over the dam. In July 2009, construction of the impressive, airy building began, its expansive deck and vast windows all helping to make the most of the brewery’s picturesque setting.
Now there was just one problem left to solve – the question of who was going to brew the beer. It was Imke who came to the rescue. “When we were dismantling the brewery I saw that this was a big thing and I wanted to be a part of it,” she says. “I can cook but I didn’t want to cook in a restaurant, so I decided to turn my hand to brewing. I started getting every book I could find on brewing and for two years I read, slept and drank beer. Then, when I finished the books I turned back and read them again!” With the theory part covered, it was time to get brewing. Imke started small – with a pot on the stove – before brewing with Heiko Feuring, a close friend who happens to be a qualified brewmaster, with whom she devised the Dunkel recipe that is one of Am Damm’s flagship beers today.
But the beer education didn’t stop there – Imke next headed for Europe, where she spent a week brewing and learning the all-important cellar work with Hanover-based microbrewery HBX. Next up was a gruelling fortnight in Vienna, brewing eight times on the same system that the Am Damm team had bought from Hattingspruit. “It was really, really intense,” Imke recalls, clearly glad she doesn’t yet have that hectic of a brew schedule. “I was finished afterwards!” But another mad brew session would follow a year later when Hanover brewer Klemens Schell visited Am Damm to help get the brewery running smoothly. Brauhaus am Damm then had three of their flagship recipes sorted – the Dunkel developed with Heiko, a Pilsner recipe from Hanover and the beer that started it all – the Farmers’ Draught, which was bought from Hattingspruit along with the equipment.
Beer is pumped directly from the serving tanks to the bar above.
The brewing is only part of it though – the hardest work comes afterwards, as Imke will tell you. “Brewers are the best paid cleaners in the world,” she says, pausing for effect. “Well, when they get paid, that is! If you don’t clean every single day it will bring trouble and then you are finished.”
In November 2011, Brauhaus am Damm opened its doors, serving German-style beers and hearty food to match. In fact, the German backing is evident throughout – not only in the food and beer, but also in the hi-tech and über-organised cellar housing fermenters and shiny tanks from which the draught beer is pumped directly in this keg-free operation. Imke is rightly as proud of the equipment as she is of the beers and much of it is on show for patrons to inspect and admire. When she brews, she is out in the open for all to watch, although Imke is constantly surprised at how few people stop to ask questions or watch the work that’s going into their pint.
Brauhaus am Damm’s first year has been a big one, with an award at the Clarens Craft Beer Festival and their beers being embraced both by locals and Gauteng day-trippers. But there is much to do, with a basement sports bar due to open, seasonal brews to perfect, a yeast propagator to fathom and, of course, an annual Oktoberfest planned. But Imke, in her inimitable cheery manner, has no doubt that they’ll achieve everything eventually, just as she achieved her goal to become a brewer. “If you want to do something badly enough,” she says, “you will succeed, but you really have to want it.”
Next to godliness: equipment sterilising in the spotless brewery.
Brauhaus am Damm brew all their beers, with the exception of the Weiss, to the Reinheitsgebot or German Purity Law. Passed in Bavaria in the sixteenth century, the law states that only water, barley and hops can be used to make beers. Yeast is conspicuous in its absence from the list – back then brewers didn’t know of its existence so it was not considered an ingredient in its own right.
FARMERS’ DRAUGHT (4.2% ABV)
The beer that launched the brewery could be considered craft beer 101. Dry and mildly malty, it’s a straightforward beer and an easy leap for a lager drinker.
BRAUHAUS PILSNER (4.8% ABV)
Although unfiltered, like all of Am Damm’s beers, the pilsner is a clear, amber-coloured pint. Subtle malty and fruity aromas and a slight honey sweetness make this not as dry as a pilsner can be.
BRAUHAUS DUNKEL (5% ABV)
This classic example of the German dark beer uses five different malts. It’s quite light in body though, with aromas of coffee and chocolate and a dry, roasty flavour.
Also look out for the full-flavoured light beer and the Weiss, both available in the warmer months. A Pilsner/Dunkel mix is available, with the latter’s roast flavours cutting through the sweetness of the Pilsner.
Thanks to a trio of shared ingredients – yeast, grain and water – there is no better accompaniment for beer than pizza. This recipe also uses beer as an ingredient in the base, just to make that perfect pairing even better.
200 g cake flour
300 g bread flour
15 g salt
300 ml Brauhaus am Damm Farmers’ Draught (or a similar lighter beer that won’t colour the base or have too strong a flavour)
60 ml water
15 g sugar
1 x 7 g packet dry yeast
15 ml olive oil
Extra bread flour for mixing
MAKES 4 PIZZA BASES
Location: Chameleon Village, R104, Hartbeespoort Web: chameleonbrewhouse.co.za Tel: 072 369 2309 Amenities: Light lunches, shopping, off
“It took one sip and we were hooked” – that’s how Amanda van den Berg sums up the beer awakening that started on a journey to Germany in 2006, a journey that led her and husband Ruaan to open the Chameleon Brewhouse six years later.
“We visited Germany as part of a European tour,” explains Ruaan. “It was then that we tasted Weiss beer for the very first time in a small town called Weikersheim. We loved it and in the next town we went to we walked into a pub and asked for a Weiss. We were so stupid – we thought that Weiss was a brand name!”
Then Ruaan and Amanda realised that they couldn’t get the beer made just a couple of towns away, but that each little town had its own brewery. It was this realisation that stirred something within. “We said we’d do anything to be able to have this beer at home – steal, borrow, import it … but when we came back I couldn’t find anybody selling Weiss beer.” There was only one option for Ruaan to get his Weiss fix – he decided he’d have to start making it himself.
Luckily the Wort Hog Brewers club was on hand to assist and after a few meetings Ruaan launched into all-grain brewing. Ruaan reckons he and Amanda must have “tasted” (or drunk) around 750 litres of homebrew over the next two years – a fact he recalls with a slightly embarrassed grin. But he’s quick to add that it was all with good reason. “You have to brew as much as you can – that’s how you learn the trade and that’s how you learn from your mistakes.”
The new passion also rekindled some old friendships in the form of André de Beer of the Cockpit Brewhouse (see page 159) and Stephan Meyer of Clarens Brewery (see page 215) – both old university buddies of Ruaan’s. Their support is still evident around the brewery – Ruaan’s boiler and mash tun came from Stephan, his hot liquor tank from André, and there’s a lot of recipe-sharing love going around. The rest of the brewery though, Ruaan built from scratch. A mechanical engineer by trade, Ruaan hopes to turn the brewing into a full-time occupation one day. “Stephan says everyone must have a new career at 50,” he laughs. “But of course we knew when we set it up that it wouldn’t happen in a year.”
André and Stephan also encouraged Ruaan to take the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) test, an internationally recognised exam that qualifies you to judge beer in competitions. Although challenging, Ruaan encourages all brewers to take the exam as he did. “I’ve never learnt so much in such a short time as when I was studying for the BJCP. I think anybody in homebrewing or craft beer should do that exam so that you have the ability to recognise off-flavours before you present your beers to anybody.”
It is usually Amanda who presents their beers to the public, in the cute little brewpub, perfectly placed in a setting frequented by tourists both domestic and international. “We were looking for a touristy spot,” explains Ruaan but they ruled out their first choices: Pilgrim’s Rest, Hazyview and Swakopmund (Namibia). “Our 16-year-old son did not take the relocation idea well!” says Amanda. But when it came to taking the premises at the Chameleon Village just north of the Hartbeespoort Dam the decision was two parts fate, one part luck. “We were here one day just for fun,” Amanda recalls. “Through a series of coincidences we ended up meeting the landlord and before we left that day we’d already decided to take the unit.” It’s the perfect spot to enjoy a beer in the sun and an ideal family venue, its outdoor tables nestled among curio stalls and one-off home décor shops.
So what about the beers? Well, Chameleon offers a great range offering something for all palates. “In the last year-and-a-half I really started brewing nice beers – I hope I can say that,” grins Ruaan. “They have won some awards.” And did he ever re-create the beer that set the whole thing in motion? “Of course – it was the second beer I ever brewed!” says Ruaan of his Weiss named for the town where they first tasted it. They tested it out on German friends before launching it to critical acclaim at the 2012 Clarens Craft Beer Festival. But while Weiss was the beer that started it all, Ruaan and Amanda are certainly not stuck on one flavour. “We worked our way from the blonde to the Weiss and later to the APA,” says Ruaan, “and now we’re both addicted to hops.”
Their hankering for hops might of course come from their other major source of inspiration – American brewer Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Brewery. “Oh, we love him,” Amanda enthuses. “We read all his books, watch all his shows – we just haven’t had the chance to taste his beers! He motivates you so much,” she continues. “We close from Monday to Wednesday and sometimes it’s difficult to get back into the swing of things on a Thursday, but if you watch an episode of Brewmasters you just feel like – yes, let’s go to work tomorrow – let’s go brew some beer!”
WEIKERSHEIM WEISS (4.7% ABV)
Ripe bananas and bubblegum notes punch you in the nose, with the former following through on flavour in this, a lighter-bodied version of a classic Weissbier.
BLONDE ALE (4.5% ABV)
Pale gold in colour with aromas of smoke, malt and a touch of grass, leading you into an easy-drinker with a dry, crisp, biscuit flavour.
ENGLISH BITTER (4.7% ABV)
An almost savoury aroma of nuts and coffee. Smoky and dry but endlessly drinkable, it’s the perfect partner for biltong.
PALE ALE (4.6% ABV)
A hopful awakening with tropical fruits on the nose and a clean, grassy flavour. Enjoy it with a strong cheese like Gruyère.
STOUT (5% ABV)
It’s lighter in body than many stouts, but this beer doesn’t scrimp on taste. It’s full of bold coffee flavours, with a big, bitter finish.
I like cider but I ordered beer – why does my beer taste like cider?
“If you taste cider in your beer you are either drinking an American Light Lager-style beer where the aroma of green apples is acceptable or your beer has a bacterial infection. Another cause can be premature removal from the yeast. Both causes responsible for the off taste can be overcome by allowing the fermentation to complete and the practice of good sanitation to avoid infection. This characteristic in beer is called acetaldehyde.”
Amanda doesn’t brew with Ruaan, but she’s deeply involved in the brewery. Aside from running the pub itself she has a crucial role in the Chameleon Brewhouse. “I use Amanda as my tester for the first beer of each batch. She always has a very straight opinion of the beers!”
With five beers permanently on the repertoire, she has plenty to taste and might well have more to taste in future months. Ruaan plans to brew speciality one-off beers, including something extreme and out of the ordinary. And if you’re not a fan of extreme beer, you know there’ll always be a steady stream of the inspirational Weiss on tap – provided the locals don’t drink him dry that is.
Serve with a Weiss beer, such as Chameleon’s Weikersheim Weiss. Chef Franc says: “The crisp flavours of the Chameleon Weiss are always well suited for a Waterzooi, or any fish dish for that matter, provided that it is not too salty.”
FOR THE SAUCE
(MAKES 10 PORTIONS)
2 kg kingklip bones, roughly chopped
2 large onions, sliced
300 g celery, roughly chopped
1 garlic bulb, roughly chopped
500 ml dry white wine
300 g leeks, roughly chopped
3 bay leaves
10 white peppercorns
5 litres water
3 litres fresh cream
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
25 ml molasses
FOR THE STEW
(MAKES 1 PORTION)
3 medium-sized prawns, deveined
3 scallops in shell with roe
60 g portion of Scottish salmon
60 g portion of kingklip
3 clams in shell
3 mussels in shell
3 new potatoes, peeled and precooked
15 ml Pernod
FOR THE GARNISH
(MAKES 1 PORTION)
10 ml julienne of each red, yellow and green sweet pepper, soaked in ice water
10 ml julienne of leek, soaked in ice water
10 ml julienne of red cabbage, soaked in ice water
5 ml thinly sliced chives
10 ml tomato brunoise (diced tomato)
Location: Jalapor Road, Broederstroom Web: alehouse.co.za Tel: 082 464 9387 Amenities: Pub, pizzas, family friendly
Every craft beer culture needs a maverick brewer, a guy who would not only throw out the rule book, but would never deign to buy a rule book in the first place. In South Africa, that guy is Dirk van Tonder. Dirk sits at the helm of the Irish Ale House, probably South Africa’s most rustic brewpub, sitting on a 4.5-hectare “beer farm” amid a network of dirt roads in Broederstroom.
Dirk’s journey into craft beer began how most brewers start out – taking up the hobby of homebrewing. “I stumbled across it on the internet,” says Dirk. “I skipped kit and extract brewing and went straight into all-grain and into kegs. Eventually I started annoying my wife in the kitchen, so we ended up buying the land here in 2004 – then I had plenty of space to brew without getting in the way.”
The brewery is a small but shiny setup sitting in a one-room building, whose cement walls are washed with local sand to blend in with the dusty surrounds. Here Dirk brews, in his words, “whatever I can get my hands on”. His flagship beer though is a blonde ale, generously hopped, un-filtered and carbonated only slightly. The recipe, he admits, changes depending on the grain and hops available, but it’s a well-made brew that will satisfy any hankering for hops. This is particularly true when Dirk, a definite hophead, brews what he calls his “trailer trash blonde” – a similar recipe but one where he’s heavy-handed with the Cascade (an American hop). A sole fermenter means he can only brew once every couple of weeks, but there are other craft beers from around the country permanently available, so there’s no danger of an ale-free ale house.
Tastings take place in the Ale House proper, a larger version of the building housing the brewery, with rustic fittings and dim but atmospheric lighting. The “Irish” part of the Ale House moniker refers not to any beers available or beer styles brewed here, but to a little-remembered piece of history that is close to Dirk’s heart. His pub is part homage to beer and part homage to the Irish Brigade who sided with the Boers rather than the English during the Anglo-Boer War. Dirk is as passionate about the history side as he is about the beer and says that the Ale House is essentially a monument. “I had these relics that had been passed down in my family and I wanted to make a monument. But I thought – why build them another piece of granite? Why not build an ale house? The beer thing just happened and I thought – what a nice marriage.”
Dirk likes to do things his own way, and that includes taking some of the brewing process outside.
There are no TVs and Dirk is proud of the fact that no sports game, however important, will ever be shown in his pub. It’s a place for a tranquil sunset pint or a family afternoon munching on pizza and getting acquainted with Dirk’s donkeys, which are as much a part of the brewery as he is. When Dirk is brewing, the donkeys are never far away. “They can smell the boil and they know they’re going to get a good feed in a couple of hours – the spent grain is incredibly nutritious.” And, of course, if there’s ever a petrol crisis, Dirk would be one of few people who could still deliver beer. “I can just hitch on the donkey cart and be away!” he says.
This essence of stepping back in time is also the root of success behind Dirk’s other baby, The Solstice Festival. Established in 2008, it is one of the country’s oldest craft beer festivals and offers a totally different vibe to anything you’ll find elsewhere. Bagpipes play, vendors sell chain mail and jester hats, and tipsy patrons pay to throw tomatoes at presumably equally tipsy participants. Dirk started the festival for two equally charming reasons: first, a simple love of beer and a desire to get the region’s brewers together; second, to make a little extra cash so that he can fly his daughter over from Europe for an annual visit.
ALE HOUSE BLONDE (4% ABV)
Unfiltered and cloudy, Dirk’s flagship blonde is a smooth and fruity beer, with a pleasant bitter finish. An assertive hop character will please lovers of the lupulus but isn’t too overpowering for the uninitiated.
Speaking of Europe, I wondered if Dirk had any plans to visit Ireland, considering his historical interests and obvious passion for beer. It’s obviously a question he’s been asked many times before as his answer was quick and clear: “Oh no, I don’t want to go there – I won’t come back.”
There’s always something on tap at the Ale House, but until you get there, you’re not quite sure what it will be.
Dirk describes his 4.5-hectare property as a “beer farm”, though he also makes pretty awesome pizzas.